ALTOONA, Pa. — In the immediate aftermath of his team’s 28-14 win against WPIAL champion Pine-Richland at Mansion Park Stadium to send District 3 powerhouse Bishop McDevitt to the state finals, Crusaders quarterback Stone Saunders did not mince words.
“If you’re from Pittsburgh and you don’t go to Aliquippa, you can’t play with us,” Saunders said.
That might sound like arrogance to some, but with a PIAA-record 202 touchdown passes to his name, Saunders has certainly earned the right to speak his mind.
A Kentucky recruit who is also nearing the PIAA records for career passing yards and completions, Saunders will cap off his decorated high school career with a third state championship appearance after passing for three TDs against the Rams’ vaunted defense. He is the only quarterback in state history with four seasons of 3,000-plus passing yards — and to top it all off, Saunders will now get a chance to bring home his second state title for Bishop McDevitt (13-2).
“If we run the ball all over them next week, I’ll be happy,” Saunders said. “Whatever happens happens. We’re going to go get it done.”
Saunders certainly received plenty of help from his friends on Friday night — and nobody provided a bigger assist than running back Nazir Jones-Davis. The talented junior tailback carried the ball 29 times for 221 yards and a score, setting the tone with a long run in the first quarter to kickstart the Crusaders’ offense and put Pine-Richland’s defense on its heels.
“We were just behind the sticks all game,” said Rams coach Jon LeDonne. “[Jones-Davis] is a heck of a running back. Very powerful, very strong. We got hats to the ball. Sometimes we had an opportunity to get him down and just didn’t get him down.”
Following an upset loss against Dallas in last year’s state semifinals, Bishop McDevitt coach Jeff Weachter admitted the Crusaders may have gotten punished for looking ahead to a potential state championship rubber match against Aliquippa. Bishop McDevitt lost to the Quips in the 2021 PIAA Class 4A title game when Saunders was a freshman, then the Crusaders exacted revenge with a lopsided win against Aliquippa in the 2022 title game.
Many expected the teams to meet again in last year’s state finals, but Dallas derailed those plans. And with Bishop McDevitt being moved up to Class 5A for the first time, some wondered if the Crusaders could match the impressive size and physicality Pine-Richland brings to the table.
Consider those questions answered.
“They’re a physical team. Those Aliquippa teams were pretty physical, too,” Weachter said about the Rams. “We talked about it all week. I love the way they play. Watching the film — even their small guys are physical. [Tanner Cunningham] will knock the crap out of you.
“We had to be physical and match their physicality.”
LeDonne tipped his cap to Bishop McDevitt pass rusher Lucas Lawler after the senior outside linebacker made a habit out of causing havoc in the backfield all night long for the Rams. Lawler is a Bucknell wrestling recruit and two-time PIAA medalist on the mat.
“[Lawler] gave us fits all night,” LeDonne said. “They were fast and physical, and I think it hit our linemen in the face. … They’ve got players on all levels on both sides of the ball. They’re a heck of a football team. They’re going to the state championship game for a reason.”
Things got off to a promising start for Pine-Richland (11-2), which forced a three-and-out by Bishop McDevitt on the opening drive of the game. The Rams then punted the ball right back to the Crusaders, who turned to Jones-Davis to ignite their offense with a 64-yard run on the first play of the ensuing possession. Jones-Davis then found the end zone on a 3-yard run on the following play to open the scoring for Bishop McDevitt.
Facing fourth-and-goal early in the second quarter, Saunders etched his name into the history books with a 7-yard TD pass to Jontai Quick, becoming the first player in PIAA history with 200 career touchdown passes. He then added an 8-yard TD pass on a nearly identical play with 18 seconds left in the half, giving the Crusaders a commanding 21-0 lead going into the break.
“I don’t feel anything yet,” Saunders said about starting the 200-TD club. “I’m sure later on, I’ll feel it. It was cool. I got to take a picture with the ‘200’ sign like Wilt Chamberlain, so that was cool.”
Although Pine-Richland was staring in the face of a nearly insurmountable deficit, the Rams refused to go away without a fight. After a long, winding run by Strader into Bishop McDevitt territory, he connected with Tyler Hays for a touchdown pass down the middle of the field — but an illegal formation penalty wiped away the score, and Pine-Richland came away empty handed.
On their next possession, the Rams finally got on the board with a beautifully thrown 28-yard TD pass from Strader to Jay Timmons, trimming the Crusaders lead to 21-7 midway through the third quarter. Timmons then got loose for what would have been a 55-yard TD run on an end-around later in the quarter, but a costly holding penalty took another touchdown away from Pine-Richland.
“We came out with a little bit of energy there in the second half,” LeDonne said. “We had a couple touchdowns taken off the board on our hand. We have to control what we can control. … It’s a tough one, for sure.”
After letting the Rams hang around throughout the third quarter, Bishop McDevitt padded its cushion early in the fourth quarter with a 68-yard TD pass from Saunders to Quick, who got lost behind the secondary before using a filthy cutback to split a pair of Pine-Richland defenders on his way to the end zone.
“Give them credit. They just kept on coming back and coming back,” Weachter said. “They’re a great football team, and we played well tonight to beat them.”
The Rams kept on fighting until the finish, even after having their third touchdown of the game negated by a penalty. Strader connected with Webb Higgs for a 29-yard score with 4:12 remaining to cut the Crusaders’ lead to 28-14, and Pine-Richland’s sophomore signal caller finished with 197 yards passing and a pair of TDs to go with one interception. But that was as close as the Rams would come, as Bishop McDevitt ran out the rest of the clock to ice away the victory.
“They claimed to be this physical team,” Saunders said. “We took their identity [tonight]. We mixed in a couple of passes, but we got it done. That’s all that matters.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
